Internal assessment resource Earth and Space Science 2.3A v2 for Achievement Standard
91189
PAGE FOR TEACHER USE
Internal Assessment Resource
Earth and Space Science Level 2
This resource supports assessment against:
Achievement Standard 91189 version 2
Investigate geological processes in a New Zealand locality
Resource title: Rocks of Banks Peninsula
4 credits
This resource:

Clarifies the requirements of the standard

Supports good assessment practice

Should be subjected to the school’s usual assessment quality assurance
process

Should be modified to make the context relevant to students in their school
environment and ensure that submitted evidence is authentic
Date version published by
Ministry of Education
February 2015 Version 2
Quality assurance status
These materials have been quality assured by NZQA.
To support internal assessment from 2015
NZQA Approved number: A-A-02-2015-91189-02-5478
Authenticity of evidence
Teachers must manage authenticity for any assessment
from a public source, because students may have
access to the assessment schedule or student exemplar
material.
Using this assessment resource without modification
may mean that students’ work is not authentic. The
teacher may need to change figures, measurements or
data sources or set a different context or topic to be
investigated or a different text to read or perform.
This resource is copyright © Crown 2015
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NZQA
Approved
Internal assessment resource Earth and Space Science 2.3A v2 for Achievement Standard
91189
PAGE FOR TEACHER USE
Internal Assessment Resource
Achievement Standard Earth and Space Science 91189:
Investigate geological processes in a New Zealand locality
Resource reference: Earth and Space Science 2.3A v2
Resource title: Rocks of Banks Peninsula
Credits: 4
Teacher guidelines
The following guidelines are designed to ensure that teachers carry out valid and
consistent assessment using this internal assessment resource.
Teachers need to be very familiar with the outcome being assessed by the
Achievement Standard Earth and Space Science 91189. The achievement criteria
and the explanatory notes contain information, definitions, and requirements that are
crucial when interpreting the standard and assessing students against it.
Context/setting
This assessment activity requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the
formation of rocks in New Zealand by creating a report, a pamphlet, or a PowerPoint
presentation that explains in depth the formation, related to plate tectonics of at least
one Sedimentary, Metamorphic and Igneous Rock found in New Zealand.
Students should have studied Plate Tectonics and learned about:


the plates and their interactions in New Zealand over geological time
the significant events in the New Zealand’s geological history

the main types of rocks in New Zealand e.g. Torlesse Greywacke, Haast Schists.
Conditions
This activity will take about 10–15 hours of in and out-of-class time.
Students complete the activity individually.
Resource requirements
Sources of information about the formation of rocks in New Zealand, including books,
the Internet, and/or discussion with subject experts are listed below: The following
websites will be helpful.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/geological-exploration/6/2 - plate tectonics.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/geology-overview/3 - gives overview of formation of New
Zealand.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/geology-land-districts-of-new-zealand/1 - lists basic
rock types in each area of New Zealand.
This resource is copyright © Crown 2015
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Internal assessment resource Earth and Space Science 2.3A v2 for Achievement Standard
91189
PAGE FOR TEACHER USE
The following books and publications will be helpful:
Sewell, R. J.; Weaver, S.D.; Reay, M. B. 1992: Geology of Banks Peninsula. Scale
1:100 000. Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences geological map 3. 1 sheet.
Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Ltd, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
Aitken, J. (1996). Plate Tectonics for Curious Kiwis. Lower Hutt: Institute of
Geological & Nuclear Sciences Limited.
Thornton, Jocelyn (2003). The Reed Field Guide to New Zealand Geology: An
Introduction to Rocks, Minerals and Fossils. Auckland: Reed.
Graham, Ian, ed. (2008). A Continent on the Move: New Zealand Geoscience into
the 21st Century. Wellington: The Geological Society of New Zealand in association
with GNS Science.
Additional information
None.
This resource is copyright © Crown 2015
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Internal assessment resource Earth and Space Science 2.3A v2 for Achievement Standard
91189
PAGE FOR STUDENT USE
Internal Assessment Resource
Achievement Standard Earth and Space Science 91189:
Investigate geological processes in a New Zealand locality
Resource reference: Earth and Space Science 2.3A v2
Resource title: Rocks of Banks Peninsula
Credits: 4
Achievement
Investigate geological
processes in a New Zealand
locality.
Achievement with Merit
Investigate in depth
geological processes in a
New Zealand locality.
Achievement with
Excellence
Investigate comprehensively
geological processes in a
New Zealand locality.
Student instructions
Introduction
This assessment activity requires you to study the formation of rocks in the Banks
Peninsula, Canterbury region of New Zealand and to create a report, a pamphlet, or
a PowerPoint presentation that explains how two or more of these rocks have come
to be in Banks Peninsula.
You will be assessed on the depth and comprehensiveness of your explanation.
You will have 10–15 hours of in- and out-of-class time to complete this activity
individually.
Task
Select two or more rocks found in Banks Peninsula.
For each rock, create a report, a pamphlet, or a PowerPoint presentation that:

identifies the type of rock and where it is found on Banks Peninsula


explains how plate tectonics have formed this type of rock
explains how rock-cycle processes have formed this type of rock

link the plate tectonic and rock cycle processes that have formed this type of rock

explain how erosion has shaped landforms (on Banks Peninsula) that are made
of this type of rock over time.
Your teacher will provide you with a list of resources for this task.
This resource is copyright © Crown 2015
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Internal assessment resource Earth and Space Science 2.3A v2 for Achievement Standard 91189
PAGE FOR TEACHER USE
Assessment schedule: Earth and Space Science 91189 Rocks of Banks Peninsula
Evidence/Judgements for Achievement
Evidence/Judgements for Achievement with
Merit
Evidence/Judgements for Achievement with
Excellence
The student has produced a report, pamphlet, or
PowerPoint presentation in which they investigate
geological processes in a New Zealand locality.
The student has produced a report, pamphlet, or
PowerPoint presentation in which they investigate
in depth geological processes in a New Zealand
locality.
The student has produced a report, pamphlet, or
PowerPoint presentation in which they investigate
comprehensively geological processes in a New
Zealand locality.
In the report, pamphlet, or PowerPoint
presentation, the student:
In the report, pamphlet, or PowerPoint
presentation, the student:

identifies two or more rock types found on
Banks Peninsula
For example:
Early eruptions in cretaceous period were of
Rhyolite and Andesite laid down over Greywacke.
Rhyolite formed when silica rich magma erupted
and cooled down quickly.



In the report, pamphlet, or PowerPoint
presentation, the student:

identifies two or more rock types found on
Banks Peninsula
For example:
Early eruptions in the cretaceous period were of
Rhyolite and Andesite laid down over Greywacke.
Rhyolite formed when silica rich magma erupted
and cooled down quickly.

describes plate tectonic processes that formed
the rocks on Banks Peninsula
For example:
Greywacke is very old in Banks Peninsula and
was formed by heat and pressure under the earth
and uplifted during the Rangitata Orogeny.

describes the rock cycle processes that formed
the rocks identified on Banks Peninsula
For example:
Greywacke found on Banks Peninsula was formed
by sandstone laid down as sediments off the coast
of Gondwana.

describes erosion that has shaped current
This resource is copyright © Crown 2015
explains plate tectonic processes that formed
the rocks identified on Banks Peninsula
For example:
Rhyolite was erupted from Lyttleton stratovolcano.
It was made from high silica content magma that
does not have dissolved gas in it. Rhyolite has
very small crystals, which are because it has been
formed from silica-rich magma erupted from a
Rhyolitic volcano and cooled very quickly on the
Earth’s surface.

explains the rock cycle processes that formed
the rocks identified on Banks Peninsula
For example:
identifies two or more rock types found on
Banks Peninsula
For example:
Early eruptions in cretaceous period were of
Rhyolite and Andesite laid down over Greywacke.
Rhyolite formed when silica rich magma erupted
and cooled down quickly.
links plate tectonic and rock cycle processes
that have formed the identified rocks found on
Banks Peninsula
For example:
Rhyolite erupts at a low temperature of 800°C and
is the most violent type of eruption. This means
that Rhyolite is erupted the most violently and
quickly out of a volcano (such as Lyttleton) and the
resulting surface rock cools down the fastest to
have very small crystals.
The Rhyolite erupted onto the greywacke base. It
has a mineral composition that shows it is made
up of partical melting of the mostly quartzofelpathic
Torlesse sediments. Torlesse greywackes were
formed from sandstone, which can be mined on
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Internal assessment resource Earth and Space Science 2.3A v2 for Achievement Standard 91189
PAGE FOR TEACHER USE
landforms of these rocks on Banks Peninsula
For example:
The Rhyolite and Andesite deposited on Banks
Peninsula indicate that they were deposited by a
stratovolcano, which is a very different shape to
the shield type shape of Banks Peninsula today.
Greywacke was only slightly metamorphosed by
heat and pressure, which indicates it was not
buried very deep before being uplifted by the
Rangitata Orogeny.

explains how erosion has shaped current
landforms of these rocks on Banks Peninsula
For example:
The large symmetrical cone shaped volcano has
eroded over approximately 80 million years of wind
and rain action upon the rocks. This has eroded
the cone shape to the low-lying round shape seen
today.
Banks Peninsula today and is found under the
rhyolite, which indicates that it is older than the
rhyolite.

links erosional processes with the shape of the
current landforms on Banks Peninsula
For example:
The prevailing weather on Banks Peninsula has
eroded the stratovolcano shape over time (2-8Ma
ago) leaving only exposed Basaltic dykes in
places. The overall shape of Banks Peninsula is
now a gently rounded, deeply incised shield
volcano shape. However, the presence of rhyolite
and Andesite on Banks Peninsula indicates a
stratovolcano was once present with a classical
cone shape at the end of the Cretaceous.
Final grades will be decided using professional judgement based on a holistic examination of the evidence provided against the criteria in the
Achievement Standard.
This resource is copyright © Crown 2015
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